SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Solar panels are being installed at Westar Energy’s new solar project, the Westar Energy Community Solar sponsored by Hormel Natural Choice, located near South Hutchinson.
“This community solar project now gives all our customers the ability to choose solar energy,” Mark Ruelle, president and CEO, said. “Offering solar complements the extensive portfolio of existing wind and solar projects that already serve our customers. Already about one-third of the electricity we sell is renewable, and about half comes with no emissions. Many might be surprised to learn that Kansans get a lot more of their energy from solar and wind than do Californians.”
About 20 percent of the solar energy from this facility in South Hutchinson will be used at Dold Foods in Wichita, where Hormel Natural Choice bacon products are prepared and packaged. As part of this significant commitment, the project has been named the Westar Energy Community Solar.
Westar continues to offer subscriptions to the community solar plant to any customer, but supply is limited with 90 percent of the facility already spoken for by 450 Westar customers.
Participants have the choice of locking in their energy price for five to 20 years, enjoying the benefits of solar with no upfront investment, no debt and no ongoing maintenance. Full details and program enrollment are available at www.WestarEnergy.com/communitysolar.
The 1.2 megawatt Community Solar installation comprises nearly 4,000 panels and is the equivalent of about 200 average residential private solar installations. Weather permitting, the solar array will be completed and serving customers in mid-May.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 29-year-old Hutchinson man was killed this morning in a car/bicycle accident at the intersection of East 11th and K-61.
According to Hutchinson Police, Jerry Johnson was riding west on 11th when he crossed into the intersection of K-61 and was hit by a northbound SUV driven by 47-year-old Ignacio Acosta of Hutchinson. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident happened around 5:40 a.m. and is still under investigation by the Hutchinson Police Department.
WICHITA, Kan. — The case against Myrta Rangel has taken another turn. The woman who is connected to the triple murder case against Jereme Nelson in Harvey County is now facing federal charges.
Rangel was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of providing the gun to Nelson, who is charged with three counts of capital murder and three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Travis Street, Angela May Graevs and Richard Prouty.
Rangel is charged with: One count of aiding and abetting possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count one). One count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count two). One count of conspiracy to carry a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count three). One count of transferring a firearm to be used in drug trafficking (count four). One count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction (count five) and One count of giving a firearm to a convicted felon (count six). Rangel is accused of giving a .40 caliber handgun to Nelson that was used in the shooting.
If convicted, she faces :
Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on count one. Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on count two. Up to 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on count three and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on counts four, five and six.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Even though the Hutchinson Public Schools Nutrition Services budget is in a strong position, federal regulations are requiring the district to raise meal prices in 2017-18.
The Hutchinson School Board approved a proposal that will increase lunch prices by only 5 cents per meal. Federal regulations, however, would have required the district to raise prices by 10 cents per meal, but Director of Nutrition Services Jennifer Tatro was able to appeal to the Kansas State Board of Education to allow only a 5-cent increase. Even before the 5-cent increase, the district’s food services operation was operating without any subsidies from the general fund.
Also during Monday’s meeting, the board elected Kail Denison as vice president. Rudy Rodriguez had served in that role until April 10 when his work schedule required him to resign from the Board.
The Board also accepted a grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation. The district has received a $10,000 grant from the foundation for Hutchinson High School day care renovations.
SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Nickerson USD 309 School Board will take time during tonight’s agenda session to further discuss a proposed drug testing policy.
The policy would provide random drug testing for students participating in all extracurricular and co-curricular activities, including athletic programs, cheerleading, student council, band and vocal programs, and even parking privileges and most academic activities. The policy would cover all students in grades 7-12. The matter has been discussed at previous meetings. Also tonight, the board will further discuss some of the needs it has in the district including the district’s buildings and some of the future enrollment projections that could have an impact on the district’s schools.
And finally, it looks like former Buhler High School girls basketball coach Jon McClane is not wishing to stay idle long. He is up for approval as the new Athletic Director and head girls basketball coach at Nickerson High School. He is one of several coaches up for consideration at the high school by the board including Nick Flowers as wrestling coach and Len Smalling as the new boys basketball coach.
Tonight’s Nickerson USD 309 Board meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the school district offices on West 4th Avenue, just west of Fun Valley.
The social and health effects of isolation on some rural Kansas residents spurred three Catholic nuns to convert a storefront in Concordia into a drop-in center where women can find support and resources.
Sister Loretta Jasper cut the ribbon on the Neighbor to Neighbor drop-in center on Cedar Street in Abilene, Kansas in February. BRYAN THOMPSON / KCUR
Seven years after the center opened, two dozen women on average come through each day in the town of about 5,000 to socialize, do laundry, get a cooking lesson, or simply connect with others.
Sister Pat McLennon, who helped launch Neighbor to Neighbor in Concordia and still serves as its co-director, says the center started as a place for women in the community to teach skills to young mothers in poverty while providing enrichment activities like reading and music to their kids. But it quickly drew women of all ages, including some helping as volunteers and others fulfilling mandated community service.
McLennon says Neighbor to Neighbor serves as a complement to social service agencies that provide utilities or food assistance. The women who visit the center have come to look out for each other, sharing tips about job opportunities or just checking in.
“It’s just the neighborly way that people can help one another,” McLennon says.
Sister Loretta Jasper, a nun from the same order who works as a mental health counselor in Abilene, says some adults have difficulty coping with small-town life.
“They don’t have a safe or a healthy support system, or maybe they’re very isolated, or maybe they don’t have anyone who’s really going to listen to them,” she says.
That got Jasper wondering if Neighbor to Neighbor could be replicated in Abilene, a town of 6,600 about 75 miles southeast of Concordia. Beyond their size, the towns share other similarities including poverty level and average income.
Some of the women Jasper counsels have had children taken into state custody and are working to be reunited with them. Many are under orders to complete substance abuse or mental health counseling.
But mandated treatment programs can be restrictive.
“There are goals that need to be accomplished in order for the person to continue,” says Jasper. Job responsibilities, childcare conflicts or lack of transportation can get in the way. “And if they can’t do it, then they’re automatically removed from continued services.”
Jasper says sometimes what the women really need is to have access to support in a casual setting. The new drop-in center in Abilene, that Jasper is now heading, offers parenting classes and 12-step programs without any required commitments.
Patti O’Malley, who has been working with Jasper to bring Neighbor to Neighbor to Abilene, knows the value of such programs from personal experience. A stockbroker in town, she says she started drinking too much wine after the market crashed in 2008. She went through rehab herself. Then her teenaged son, who was also struggling with addiction, died in a car crash.
“When I lost my son, I felt like I had a choice,” O’Malley says.”It was roll up in a ball and give up, or do something with all that love that I had for my son.”
O’Malley chose the second option, and founded the Cedar House, a residential facility for women recovering from addiction. Sister Loretta Jasper chairs the board of the Cedar House Foundation, which is also providing funding for Neighbor to Neighbor.
Among the women at the sober house, O’Malley says one idea seems to resonate.
“The same word kept coming out as the word, and the word was ‘community.’” She says it’s that feeling of connection with each other that helps the women stay sober.
Risks of isolation
The need for connection is human nature, according to Carrie Henning-Smith, a rural health researcher at the University of Minnesota.
Patti O’Malley, a stock broker in Abilene and in recovery herself, founded a sober house and helped launch the drop-in center in town. CREDIT BRYAN THOMPSON /KCUR
“So, finding ourselves in situations where there are not opportunities to meaningfully engage with other people is not how we’ve evolved to live,” says Henning-Smith.
And Henning-Smith says social isolation can be downright dangerous.
“It can be as harmful to your health as smoking cigarettes, as being severely obese,” says Henning-Smith.
The danger goes beyond being a risk factor for chronic illnesses.
Suicide rates are higher in rural areas than in urban settings, due at least in part to isolation and loneliness. In fact, according to the most recent data from the CDC, the rate of suicide in counties with fewer than 50,000 residents — like Dickinson and Cloud counties, home to Concordia and Abilene respectively — was nearly double the rate in counties with more than a million people.
Abilene Police Chief Mike Mohn sees the effects of isolation firsthand.
“We do see, on the suicide part of it over the last several years, an increase in dealing with people that have concerns and problems,” says Mohn.
Mohn says the new drop-in center gives women in the community one more resource.
Neighbor to Neighbor in Abilene is already offering a daily free lunch and knitting classes, and Sister Loretta is teaching a seminar on self-management of chronic pain.
O’Malley sees the need for a place to connect and get support even among her financial consulting clients.
“I work with the public, and I work with recent widows and recent widowers, and I see what happens very quickly, the loneliness — and sometimes the deterioration that happens with that loneliness,” O’Malley says.
Researcher Henning-Smith says the health benefits of human connection alone, while difficult to quantify, shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Connecting people with each other, connecting people in community, presents opportunities for friends, for neighbors, to say, ‘Hey, have you been to the doctor? Are you keeping up with your medications?’” says Henning-Smith. “It can impact mortality risks in ways we can hardly even begin to understand.”
Bryan Thompson is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration covering health, education, and politics across the state. You can reach Bryan on Twitter@KSNewsBryan.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Debra Teufel will become President/CEO of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was made Thursday by Chamber Board Chair Sarah Liebl.
Teufel has extensive experience in economic development, one of the key skills the Chamber board was looking for. “The board, based on input from members, investors and the community, put that experience at the top of the list of the things it was looking for,” Liebl said. “Debra has been involved in economic development since 1999, including in a number of communities in south-central Kansas. We are excited to welcome her and her family to our community.”
Teufel has been Director of Public/Private Partnerships for the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business, Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development since the fall of 2015. Prior to that, she served as Vice President for Business Development for the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition/Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce from 2008-2015.
“I am thrilled to be coming to Hutchinson to lead the Chamber and economic development efforts,” Teufel said. “I know the community well, as a Kansas native, and from my experience in regional economic development activities in the area. Hutchinson and Reno County have a compelling combination of business and industry, attractive development sites, workforce training and educational assets, a strong healthcare cluster, and a spirit of cooperation with community leadership who are dedicated and invested in the economic development efforts for the future. It is a great community with a wealth of opportunity.”
Teufel, 45, and her husband, David, have four children ages 14, 15, 19, and 22. Her husband and daughters will join her in Hutchinson.
Previously she was the Director of the Cowley First Economic Development Partnership from 2006-2008, after having served as Project Manager for the same organization from 1999-2004.
From 2004-2005, she was Director of the Sumner County Economic Development Commission, followed by her first term as a Project Manager for the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition from 2005-2006.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Computer Operations Technology from Southwestern College and received her designation as a Certified Economic Developer from IEDC in 2008.
Teufel will replace Kirk Johnson, who has been interim Chamber President since Jason Ball left in mid-January. “The Chamber staff has done a great job during the interim. Kirk stepped up to help the organization and we appreciate the leadership he provided,” Liebl said.
Allen Fee, CEO of Fee Insurance Group, chaired the 13-member search committee. Working with the executive search firm, Jorgenson Consulting, the search committee interviewed candidates and made a recommendation to the full Chamber Board this week.
“The process was very rewarding for me and the rest of a fantastic committee that the Chamber board appointed for the search,” Fee said. “What was reinforced time and again from all of our candidates was what a great community we have with fantastic assets and very engaging people. It is always rewarding to get reminders of what a great place we have to work and live, and our community really showed that to our candidates.”
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In conjunction with Reno County Fire District #3 and the Reno County Sheriff’s Department, officials announced information on the causes of fires from March 4th and 5th.
The 43rd and Jupiter Hills fire on March 4 started along the road with no other possible sources of ignition located in the area. This fire is suspicious in nature.
On that same day, a fire occurred at 17th and Faubion – that has also been ruled suspicious in nature.
On March 5, about a half mile west of 82nd and Monroe, a fire started along the road. A firework was found in the area. The firework, known as a Ground Bloom, spins on the ground rapidly emitting a heavy shower of sparks from 8 to 16 inches in length. It’s not known if this was intentional or accidental. This fire is also considered suspicious in nature, according to officials.
On that same day in the 9500 block of North Hendricks, a fire was reported north and west of the original fire. There are several witnesses stating there was no smoke in the area shortly before this fire was reported. It is not likely this was a rekindle from the previous fire. This fire is also suspicious in nature.
The Reno County Sheriff’s office and investigators from the Hutchinson Fire Department have continued to follow up on many leads, but, so far, there are no suspects.
If anyone has information about any of these fires, they are asked to call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 620-694-2666 or 1-800-222-8477.
NEWTON, Kan. — A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 6 in the capital murder case of Jereme Nelsen.
Nelsen faces three counts of capital murder and three counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 30 shooting deaths of 37-year-old Angela Graevs, 33-year-old Travis Street and 52-year-old Richard Prouty in rural Harvey County.
Charges against co-defendant Myrta Rangel were dismissed last month. She now faces charges related to the Nelsen case in Sedgwick County. Her preliminary hearing on charges of possession of a firearm, obstruction and providing a firearm to a felon was to happen Thursday, but has been continued.
During yesterday’s hearing, Judge Joe Dickinson ruled against the defense motion to prevent cameras in the courtroom. Under the ruling, one live camera and one still photographer will be allowed to provide for all media outlets. Dickinson also said he would reconsider whether to keep the affidavit sealed from the public. That hearing will be held May 18.
Dickinson had ruled earlier that releasing the affidavit could jeopardize the physical, mental or emotional safety or well-being of the victims and witnesses, and interfere with prospective law enforcement action, criminal investigation or prosecution.
The defense requested the affidavits be sealed with no objection from Harvey County Attorney David Yoder.
HUTCHINSON , Kan. — The Hutchinson Sports Arena is nearly completed and, despite some of the unforeseen expenses that occurred with the renovation, the project will come in under budget.
Parks Director Justin Combs, who was the liaison for the project, reported to the City Council that the project will come in as much as $30,000 under budget. The arena project was met with several high-ticket expenditures that were not part of the project, most notably the resurfacing of the floor in the concourse that cost more than a quarter of a million dollars.
Issues with the soil around the arena and unexpected problems with the concrete in the north addition led to delays and extra costs in laying the new practice gym floors. Combs and City Manager John Deardoff credited using the Construction Management at Risk method for the project, which they say kept the arena on schedule and on budget. Deardoff says that contractor J.E. Dunn and architect Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey were able to work together to keep cost down.
A ribbon cutting and open house is set for June 15th.
